Centrifuge modelling of the influence of crustal fabrics on the development of transfer zones: insights into the mechanics of continental rifting architecture

Centrifuge analogue experiments are used to model the reactivation of pre-existing crustal fabrics during extension. The models reproduced a weakness zone in the lower crust whose geometry was varied in order to investigate its role in controlling the architecture of rift segments and related transfer zones. The typical rift system geometry was characterised by two offset rift segments connected by a major transfer zone in which boundary faults were oblique to the extension vector and displayed a significant transcurrent component of movement. The transfer zone was also characterised by cross-basin faults with both trend and strike-slip component of movement opposite to that displayed by the master faults. Typically, different structural patterns were obtained by changing the offset angle φ between the rift segments, supporting that the structural pattern at transfer zones is strongly influenced by the orientation of pre-existing discontinuities with respect to the stretching vector. In the models, the aspect ratio (ratio of length vs. width) of the transfer zone shows a positive correlation with the offset angle (i.e., the more the inherited fabric is parallel to the extension direction, the longer and narrower the transfer zones). In case of staircase offset of the rift segments (φ=90°), the structural pattern was characterised by two isolated rift depressions linked by a narrow transfer zone in which border faults with alternating polarity overlapped. Prominent rise of the ductile lower crust was also observed at the transfer zone. Many of these geometrical features display striking similarities with natural rift systems. The results of the current experiments provide useful insights into the mechanics of continental rift architecture, supporting that rift propagation, width and along-axis segmentation may be strongly controlled by the reactivation of pre-existing pervasive crustal fabrics.     

Continental rifting as a function of lithosphere mantle strength

The role of the uppermost mantle strength in the pattern of lithosphere rifting is investigated using a thermo-mechanical finite-element code. In the lithosphere, the mantle/crust strength ratio (S_M/S_C) that decreases with increasing Moho temperature T_M allows two strength regimes to be defined: mantle dominated (S_M > S_C) and crust dominated (S_M < S_C). The transition between the two regimes corresponds to the disappearance of a high strength uppermost mantle for T_M > 700 °C. 2D numerical simulations for different values of S_M/S_C show how the uppermost mantle strength controls the style of continental rifting. A high strength mantle leads to strain localisation at lithosphere scale, with two main patterns of narrow rifting: “coupled crust–mantle” at the lowest T_M values and “deep crustal décollement” for increasing T_M values, typical of some continental rifts and non-volcanic passive margins. The absence of a high strength mantle leads to distributed deformations and wide rifting in the upper crust. These numerical results are compared and discussed in relation with series of classical rift examples.     

Tectono-stratigraphic modelling of the North Sicily continental margin (southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

A two-dimensional numerical modelling that simulate the kinematic and thermal response of the lithosphere to thinning was used for the quantitative reconstruction of the late Neogene to Recent times tectonic and stratigraphic evolution of the North Sicily continental margin (southern Tyrrhenian Sea). The numerical study of the evolution of the North Sicily margin builds on the crustal image and kinematic interpretation of the margin obtained by Pepe et al. [Tectonics 19 (2000) 241] on the basis of seismic data and gravity modelling. Tectonic modeling indicate that different segments of the margin were undergoing different vertical movements, which are mainly expression of the rifting and thinning of the lithosphere occurred during tectonic evolution of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. A prediction of the pre-rift basement topography and the Moho along the margin converges to a value of 6.5 km for the depth of necking and a temperature-dependent EET (500° isotherm). The model fails to reproduce the morphology of the Solunto High confirming its non-extensional origin. A polyphase evolution is required to reproduce the observed syn- and post-rift stratigraphy. During the first rifting stage (between 9 and 5 Ma), crustal thinning factors reach maximum values of 1.27 in the Cefalù basin. A similar value is predicted for the subcrustal thinning around 60 km NNE of the profile margin. Crustal thinning factors increase during the second rifting stage (from 4 to 2 Ma) and reach values of 2 and up to 3.5 in the Cefalù basin and in the continent–oceanic transition zone, respectively. Similarly, subcrustal lithospheric thinning factors reach values up to 2.5 in the distal sector of the margin. An uplift of more than 100 m is predicted for the North Sicily shelf and surrounding onshore areas during the post-rift stage. The evolution of thermal structure with time is very sensitive to the partial thinning factors describing the evolution of the thinning itself during time. The lithosphere preserved part of its strength during extension. The effective elastic thickness (EET) along the margin through time is 24 km at the onset of rifting and reaches values less to 8 km during the second rifting stage in the northeastern end of the margin.     

Building a 3-D model of a flood basalt: an example from the Etendeka, NW Namibia

Flood basalts represent large outpourings of lavas which often cover, and interact with, sedimentary basins. For this reason areas with significant flood basalt cover are often targets for hydrocarbon exploration. Problems exist, however, when trying to image sediments and structures in offshore regions covered by basalts. Here we present preliminary 3-D models of the Etendeka flood basalt province from NW Namibia, which can act as an aid in understanding the internal and external architecture of the flood basalt cover. Satellite images, digital elevation models, measured geological logs, sections and maps, are used to create the geological model. Models are presented in 2 parts; 1) models created using topography with images such as Land Sat and geological maps draped over them, and 2) a 3-D model of key lava and sediment surfaces in the basin as defined by measured geological sections. Initial results show a palaeo-volcanic feature early in the flood basalt history which is onlapped by later Iavas. The modelling also allows a simple correction for post emplacement subsidence by assuming an original sub horizontal position for the first basin wide silicic flow unit.     

Geologic and geochemical study of the Picacho gold mine, California: gold in a low-angle normal fault environment

The Picacho gold deposit, located in southeasternmost California, is a low-grade gold deposit in a nearly flat-lying denudational fault of regional extent and probable Oligocene age. The deposit is hosted by intensely fractured and faulted Mesozoic leucogranite and by chloritic augen gneiss and schist, and is overlain unconformably and in fault contact by unmineralized late Oligocene Quechan volcanic rocks. The deposit is structurally characterized by normal and normal-oblique faults of low to high dip at shallow depths in the mine, merging downward with a synchronous, low-dipping ore-stage extensional fault system (the Chocolate Mountains/Gatuna Fault) of probable Oligocene age in deeper portions of the deposit. The fault system was infiltrated during much of its active life by hot, dilute, highly exchanged meteoric water having temperatures of 170°–210° C, salinity <2 wt% NaCl equivalent and calculated δ¹⁸O_fluid between −2.6‰ and 5.2‰. This main-stage fluid precipitated quartz, pyrite, and specular hematite, accompanied by silicification and sericitization. Auriferous ore-stage pyrite was precipitated late in the fault evolution probably by mixing of reducing ore fluid with relatively oxidized main-stage fluid during regional Oligocene extension on the Chocolate Mountains/Gatuna Fault. The Picacho deposit is characterized by a gold–arsenic–antimony geochemical signature consistent with bisulfide complexing of gold in reducing fluid, in contrast with typical denudation fault-hosted base-metal-rich deposits associated with high-salinity fluids elsewhere in the southwestern United States. The deposit is overprinted by Miocene normal faults having a wide range of dips. These postore faults are associated with red earthy hematite precipitation, pyrite oxidation, and supergene enrichment of gold. Editorial handling: L. Meinert     

Kinematic model for out-of-sequence thrusting: Motion of two ramp-flat faults and the production of upper plate duplex systems

Kinematic models developed here suggest a bewildering array of structural styles can be generated during out-of-sequence thrusting. Many of these structures would be difficult to distinguish from a normally stacked thrust sequence and the process can produce younger-on-older faults that could easily be misinterpreted as normal faults. This paper considers a small subset of this problem within a large model space by considering structures that develop along a pair of ramp-flat faults that are moving simultaneously, or sequentially. Motion on the lower ramp warps the structurally higher fault due to fault-bend folding and when the fault ruptures through the warp it transfers a horse to the upper hanging wall. Continuity of the process generates what is referred to here as an “upper plate duplex” to distinguish the structure from a conventional duplex. Kinematic parameters are developed for two models within this general problem: 1) a system with a fixed ramp in the lower thrust, overridden by an upper thrust; and 2) a double-duplex system where a conventional duplex develops along the lower fault at the same time as an upper plate duplex is formed along the upper fault. The theory is tested with forward models using 2D Move software and these tests indicate different families of structural styles form in association with relative scaling of ramp systems, slip-ratio between faults, and aspect ratios of horse blocks formed in the upper-plate duplex. A first-order result of the analysis is that an upper plate duplex can be virtually indistinguishable from a conventional duplex unless the trailing branch lines of the horses are exposed or imaged; a condition seldom met in natural exposures. Restoration of an upper-plate duplex produces counterintuitive fault geometry in the restored state, and thus, restorations of upper plate duplexes that erroneously assume a conventional duplex model would produce restored states that are seriously in error. In addition, in most of the models some fault segments place younger rocks on older rocks which could be easily misinterpreted as normal fault systems. In some models younger-on-older juxtapositions are significant and if scaled to crustal scale would produce core-complex style structures that would be difficult to recognize as contractional features. Collectively, these observations imply that many areas where simultaneous contraction and extension are inferred may be entirely contractional with younger-on-older relationships generated by out-of-sequence thrust systems. Examples where this process may have occurred are in southwestern North America and the Moine thrust system and future studies should evaluate these systems in light of these models. Distinguishing upper plate duplex from conventional duplex is potentially important in economic evaluations of thrust systems because fluid migration paths would be very different in the two alternatives. The process may also be important in seismogenic mechanisms, particularly in subduction megathrusts, because faults warping faults could produce fault irregularities that would form transient asperities along the fault.     

Application of the DDM and fracture mechanics model on the simulation of rock breakage by mechanical tools

A DDM (displacement discontinuity method) program coupled with a modified energy criterion is used to simulate the development of cracks and chips by indentation tools. In our analysis a cavity model is applied to represent the expansion of crushed rock to the surrounding rock and the cracks are formedin two-dimensional and quasi-static conditions. The model parameters, rock properties and load magnitudes are varied in the numerical calculations. The results show that chips are formed by multiple mechanisms of either tension or shear, or their combinations. The cracks may either propagate to the free surface to form chips or rest in the rock subsurface. The crack development is dependent upon rock and fracture properties, loading force and tool characteristics. The DDM is a convenient tool in the study of rock fragmentation and cracks.     

Active faulting south of the Himalayan Front: Establishing a new plate boundary

New tectonic uplifts south of the Salt Range Thrust and Himalayan Front Thrust (HFT) represent an outward step of the plate boundary from the principal tectonic displacement zone into the Indo-Gangetic Plain. In Pakistan, the Lilla Anticline deforms fine-grained overbank deposits of the Jhelum River floodplain 15 km south of the Salt Range. The anticline is overpressured in Eocambrian non-marine strata. In northwest India south of Dehra Dun, the Piedmont Fault (PF) lies 15 km south of the HFT. Coalescing fans derived from the Himalaya form a piedmont (Old Piedmont Zone) 15–20 km wide east of the Yamuna River. This zone is uplifted as much as 15–20 m near the PF, and bedding is tilted 5–7° northeast. Holocene thermoluminescence-optically-stimulated luminescence dates for sediments in the Old Piedmont Zone suggest that the uplift rate might be as high as several mm/a. The Old Piedmont Zone is traced northwest 200 km and southeast another 200 km to the Nepal border. These structures, analogous to protothrusts in subduction zones, indicate that the Himalayan plate boundary is not a single structure but a series of structures across strike, including reactivated parts of the Main Boundary Thrust north of the range front, the HFT sensu stricto, and stepout structures on the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Displacement rates on all these structures must be added to determine the local India-Himalaya convergence rate.     

Vertical-axis rotation controlled by upper crustal stress based on force balance analysis: A case study of the western Transverse Ranges of California

This paper evaluates driving mechanisms of vertical-axis rotation using data from the western Transverse Ranges in southern California. Simple force balance considerations and comparison of torque applied to a rotating block indicate that shear forces applied to the base of the block are not strong enough to produce the motions and deformation observed at the surface. For the measured dimensions of the crustal blocks and crustal viscosities in southern California, stresses transmitted through the upper crust are one to three orders of magnitude stronger than forces generated in the ductile lower crust. These results suggest that the kinematics of crustal blocks in continental deformation zones are primarily controlled by forces within the upper crust rather than a flow field beneath.     

A new interpretation of Stephanian deformation in the Decazeville basin (Massif Central, France): consequences on late Variscan tectonism

Five stages of faulting were observed in and around the Stephanian Decazeville basin, in the SW French Massif Central, at the southern edge of the Sillon houiller fault. The older stage ends during middle Stephanian time, and corresponds to a strike-slip regime with N–S shortening and E–W extension. Before the end of the middle Stephanian, three other stages were recorded: two strike-slip regimes with NW–SE, then E–W compression and NE–SW, then N–S extension; and finally a NNE–SSW extensional regime during the main subsidence of the basin from the end of the middle Stephanian to late Stephanian. Based on mining documents, a new interpretation of the N–S striking folds of the Decazeville basin is proposed. Folding may not be associated with E–W compression but with diapirism of coal seams along syn-sedimentary normal faults during the extensional phase. A last strike-slip regime with N–S compression and E–W extension may be related to Cainozoic Pyrenean orogeny. At a regional scale, it is suggested that from the end of the middle Stephanian to the late Stephanian, the main faults in the Decazeville basin may represent a horsetail splay structure at the southern termination of the Sillon houiller fault.     

Along strike changes in the structural evolution over a brittle detachment fault: Example of the Pleistocene Corinth–Patras rift (Greece)

The Patras, Corinth, and northern Saronic gulfs occupy a 200-km-long, N120° trending Pleistocene rift zone, where Peloponnese drifts away from mainland Greece. The axes of Patras and Corinth basins are 25 km apart and linked by two transfer-fault zones trending N040°. The older one defines the western slope of Panachaïkon mountain, and the younger one limits the narrow Rion–Patras littoral plain. Between these two faults, the ca. 4-km-thick Rion–Patras series dips 20–30° SSW. It is part of the Patras gulf synrift deposits, which pile in an asymmetric basin governed by a fault dipping ca. 25–35° NNE, located in the southern Gulf of Patras. Mapping of this fault to the east in northern Peloponnese shows that it is an inactive north-dipping low-angle normal fault (0° to 30°N), called the northern Peloponnese major fault (NPMF). The structural evolution of the NPMF was different in the gulfs of Patras and Corinth. In the Gulf of Patras, it is still active. In northern Peloponnese, footwall uplift and coeval southward tilting flattened the fault and locked its southern part. Steeper normal faults formed north of the locked area, connecting the still active northern part of the NPMF to the surface. After several locks, the presently active normal faults (Psathopyrgos, Aigion, Helike) trend along the southern shore of the Gulf of Corinth. This migration of faults caused the relative 25 km northward shift of the Corinth basin, and the formation of NE–SW trending transfer-faults between the Corinth and Patras gulfs.     

Use of backpropagation neural network for landslide monitoring: a case study in the higher Himalaya

Static and dynamic rock slope stability analyses were performed using a numerical discontinuum modelling technique for a 700-m high rock slope in western Norway. The rock slope has been investigated by the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), which has been carrying out rock slide studies for the county Møre and Romsdal in western Norway. The purpose of numerical modelling was to estimate the volume of the rock mass that could potentially slide under static and dynamic forces. This estimation was required to assess the run-up heights (tsunami) in a fjord that could potentially be caused by the rockslide. Three cases have been simulated for predicting the behaviour of the rock slope. First, an initial static loading is applied in the numerical model to simulate the prevailing rock mass conditions at the site. Second, saturated and weathered joint conditions are modelled by reducing the residual friction angle along the discontinuities of the rock mass. In doing so, the model simulates the effect of degradation of discontinuities in the rock slope. Third, a dynamic loading, based on peak ground accelerations expected in the area, is applied to simulate dynamic earthquake conditions.

These numerical studies have provided some useful insights into the deformation mechanisms in the rock slope. Both sliding and rotation of blocks start to occur once the residual friction angle along the discontinuities is reduced and when the region is shaken by a strong earthquake. The results indicate that, due to variations in the inclination of discontinuities, the entire slope does not become unstable and that down-slope sliding and rotation of blocks occur mainly on the top layers of the slope. Within the range of parameter values considered for this study, it is unlikely that the whole rock slope can be destabilised. The study provides an illustration of how the geo-mechanical properties of a rock mass can be integrated in a discontinuum rock slope model, which is used for predicting the behaviour of the slope under existing environmental and earthquake conditions. This model has helped not only to better understand the dynamics of the rockslide but also to estimate the potential rock volume that can become unstable when subjected to static and dynamic loads.     

Installation of a vertical slurry wall around an Italian quarry lake: complications arising and simulation of the effects on groundwater flow

Slurry walls are non-structural barriers that are constructed underground to impede groundwater flow or manage groundwater control problems. The study area is in the Piemonte plain (Italy), close to the River Po. Quarrying works carried out below the piezometric surface created two big quarry lakes. The local groundwater system is characterized by a lower semi-confined aquifer, which is overlain by a semi-permeable bed of clayey peat (aquitard) and an upper unconfined aquifer. Locally, the peat fades away and the granulometry of this horizon becomes silty sandy. A planned enlargement of the quarry will increase the size and depth of the quarry lakes. So the aquitard bed between the two aquifers will be damaged, creating a mixing rate of groundwater. Such a procedure would not be compatible with the presence of two municipal wells upstream from the quarries. Consequently, the installation of a vertical diaphragm (slurry wall) is recommended to separate the aquifers and to act as a filter for the groundwater flowing from the unconfined to the semi-confined aquifer. To predict the consequences caused by the installation of the vertical diaphragm separating the unconfined aquifer and the semi-confined one, a specifically adjusted finite-difference model was used. The model showed a maximum rising of the water table equal to 12 cm, just upstream of the diaphragm and for a distance of about 100 m, and a maximum lowering of 2 cm just downstream of the diaphragm. However, the slurry wall would not cause any change in the piezometric head in the area where there are municipal wells and, hence, will not have any negative effect on the functionality of the municipal wells. Moreover, the migration of water from the unconfined aquifer through the vertical diaphragm will stimulate a series of attenuation and auto-depuration processes of eventual contaminants. These processes are due to the higher crossing time that the groundwater flow takes to go through the vertical barrier (t _a = 96.5 days, whereas for the horizontal semi-permeable layer t _a = 9.6 days). So, the vertical diaphragm can be a resolutive element, representing a mediation and separation factor between the unconfined and the semi-confined aquifers along the border of the quarrying areas, and a protective barrier for the water quality of the quarry lake and the semi-confined aquifer.     

利用地面LiDAR精细化测量活断层微地貌形态——以毛垭坝断裂禾尼处断层崖为例

受地壳内部持续运动和沉积、风化等自然动力及人类生产与生活活动影响,活断层微地貌形态往往比较复杂,传统测量方法较难快速、高效地获取大范围内精细化的活断层微地貌形态,激光雷达扫描技术的出现和发展为活断层微地貌的精细化与定量化研究提供了新的技术手段。以川西理塘毛垭坝盆地北缘的正断层崖为研究对象,利用地面LiDAR获取活断层微地貌高精度点云后,经过点云配准、滤波、重采样和三角构网处理后,建立了0.05 m分辨率的数字高程模型和真彩色三维模型,在此基础上分析了断层崖地貌特征,并获取了正断层错动两期最新地貌面的精确垂直位错量。研究结果表明,地面LiDAR技术是精细测量活断层微地貌形态和量化相关地貌特征参数的有效手段,提高了活断层微地貌形态测量的精度和认识水平。     

Modelling the settlement behaviour of a strip footing on sloping sandy fill under cyclic loading conditions

This paper investigates the settlement behaviour of a strip footing seating on the crest of an embankment and subjected to cyclic loading. The embankment fill is a dense sand and the issue is the gradual accumulation of settlement over a large number of load repetitions. Cyclic triaxial tests were first conducted to develop a consistent but simple material model for numerical implementation. Particular emphasis was placed on linking the stress-strain behaviour of an unload-reload cycle to the accumulation of permanent strain, with only five input parameters required to model the cyclic behaviour. The material model was implemented in a numerical analysis to compute the settlement behaviour obtained from model tests conducted by another researcher. It is pertinent to highlight that the same soil, compacted to same density at same moisture content, was used for both the cyclic triaxial tests and model tests. Reasonable to good agreement between the experimental and numerical results was achieved.     

Oblique slip and the geometry of normal-fault linkage: mechanics and a case study from the Basin and Range in Oregon

Map patterns of normal fault linkages near Summer Lake, Oregon, show a systematic relationship between échelon step-sense, oblique-slip sense, and the position of linking faults. Where the step sense is the same as the sense of oblique slip (e.g. left step and left-oblique slip), the faults are linked in the lower part of their relay ramp. Where the step-sense and slip-sense are opposite (e.g. left-step and right-oblique slip), the faults are linked in the upper part of the ramp. A boundary-element code is used to calculate the stress field around échelon normal faults during oblique slip, and the model results reveal a relationship similar to the field observations. If step sense and oblique-slip sense are the same, there is a greater potential for deformation ahead of the tip of the front fault and in the lower part of the ramp. If step sense and oblique-slip sense are opposite, there is a greater potential for deformation ahead of the tip of the rear fault and in the upper part of the ramp. The field-model comparison confirms that oblique slip modifies the mechanical interaction among fault segments and thus influences fault growth and the geometry of fault linkage.     

Computational study on the modification of a bounding surface plasticity model for sands

The accurate simulation of complex dynamic phenomena requires the availability of advanced constitutive models capable of simulating a wide range of features of soil behaviour under cyclic loading. One possible strategy is to improve the capabilities of existing bounding surface plasticity models, as this framework is characterised by its modularity and flexibility. As a result, specific components of the formulation of this type of model may be adjusted to improve the reproduction of any aspect of soil behaviour deemed essential to the problem being analysed. In this paper, a series of computational studies are performed in order to establish the impact of expanding a bounding surface plasticity model for sands on its modelling capabilities and to suggest ways of mitigating the associated increase in complexity. Changes to three distinct aspects of the selected constitutive model are examined: the shape of the Critical State Line in p′ − e space, the expression used for calculating the hardening modulus and the form of the yield surface. It is shown that the introduced changes have the potential to increase significantly the ability to control how certain aspects of soil response, such as degradation of stiffness and flow liquefaction with limited deformation, are reproduced by the model. Moreover, this paper presents a systematic approach to the expansion of this type of constitutive model, establishing how alterations to the formulation of a model may be assessed in terms of improved accuracy and potential benefits.     

大洋岩石圈拆沉与大陆下地壳拆沉：不同的机制及意义——兼评“下地壳＋岩石圈地幔拆沉模式”

拆沉作用（delamination）是地球科学中一个重要的科学问题。本文认为,大洋岩石圈拆沉和大陆下地壳拆沉是不一样的：（1）拆沉的物质不同。大洋岩石圈拆沉的物质包括大洋地壳、岩石圈地幔甚至一部分软流圈地幔,它们共同进入地幔深部;而大陆下地壳拆沉仅仅限制在下地壳,不包括岩石圈地幔。（2）拆沉的动力不同。大洋岩石圈拆沉是由板块俯冲引起的,是地幔对流的产物,因此是一种快速的主动的拆沉;而下地壳拆沉是由于下地壳加厚使下地壳密度增加引起的,还要求其下刚性的岩石圈地幔转变成塑性的软流圈地幔才有可能发生。因此下地壳拆沉要克服许多阻力才能实现,使拆沉成为一个漫长的过程,是慢速的和被动的拆沉。（3）拆沉的过程不同,大洋岩石圈拆沉是由板块俯冲触发的,俯冲导致碰撞,大洋岩石圈从根部断裂,拆沉进入地幔。大陆下地壳拆沉由地壳加厚开始,使下地壳转变为榴辉岩相;随后,岩石圈地幔减薄,直至全部转化为软流圈地幔;下地壳发生部分熔融,形成大规模的（埃达克质）岩浆,使下地壳榴辉岩的密度大于下伏的地幔,从而引发拆沉。大陆下地壳拆沉不大可能是整体进行的,可能是一块一块地被蚕食,被拆沉的。（4）拆沉后的效液压不同,大洋岩石圈地幔拆沉,使热的软流罪状地幔上涌,从而引发了一系列地质效应;如岩浆活动,地壳抬升,构造松弛以及随后的造山带垮塌等。而下地壳拆沉只引起地壳减薄,高原和山脉垮塌,并不伴有大规模的岩浆活动和地壳抬升等过程。（5）拆沉与岩浆活动的关系不同,主动拆沉导致大规模岩浆活动,而被拆沉是在大规模岩浆活动的基础上开始的。此外,文中还对“下地壳＋岩石圈地幔拆沉”模式提出了质疑,认为该模式有许多难以理解的问题和太多推测的成分,而且与现在保存的地质事实不符。     

内蒙古狼山地区新生代断层活动特征：对正断层生长的限定

阿拉善地块东北缘的狼山地区新生代发育有3期构造,分别为中新世NW-SE向挤压形成的逆断层,NNE向挤压形成的左行走滑断层以及晚新生代NW-SE向伸展形成的高角度正断层。结合阿拉善地块东缘的新生代构造,认为狼山地区新生代断层的活动与青藏高原东北缘的逐步扩展、应力场逐渐调整有关。狼山山前正断层目前是一条贯通的断层,其演化基本符合恒定长度断层生长模型,断层中间部位滑动速率最大,向断层两侧逐渐递减。从不同方法得出的滑动速率来看,进入全新世以来,断层滑动速率有逐渐变小的趋势。结合阿拉善地块内部及东缘断层震源机制解以及断层的几何学、运动学特征,认为河套—吉兰泰盆地和银川盆地属于两个性质不同的伸展盆地,两者通过构造转换带相连,转换区内断层表现为右行走滑。转换区5级以上地震可能是受区域性NE-SW向挤压,近南北向右行断层活动的表现。     

塔里木盆地富满大型碳酸盐岩油气聚集区走滑断裂控储模式

塔里木盆地台盆区深层海相油气勘探目标由层间岩溶向断控岩溶转变,并在处于坳陷区的富满地区发现了以走滑断裂为主控因素的断控型油田。富满地区储层特征与盆地内古隆起区、斜坡区均有不同,因此需要建立适合研究区的走滑断裂控储模式。本次研究通过高密度三维地震资料刻画了研究区走滑断裂的分布,利用岩心、测井、试井资料以及缝洞体识别技术明确了不同类型的储层分布,分析了研究区走滑断裂样式与差异变形对储层发育的影响,建立了走滑断裂控储模式。研究结果表明:(1)富满大型碳酸盐岩油气聚集区储集空间主要由多期走滑构造破裂作用与岩溶作用形成的洞穴型、裂缝-孔洞型、裂缝型与孔洞型空间组成;(2)走滑断裂活动性越强,断裂带宽度越大,储层发育规模越大,张扭段与压扭段断层破碎带型储层较平移段平面分布范围更广,纵向发育深度更大;(3)张扭段为汇水区,断裂联通性好,有利于大气流体下渗以及热流体上涌从而对储层进行溶蚀改造;压扭段为分流区,岩溶储层多发育于断裂带两侧,断裂开启程度低,受流体改造程度低于张扭段。